Nutrition: an integral component in the health care of children. The interdisciplinary team in action.

The purpose of this paper is not to disseminate new findings or to review past research, but simply to state a progressive clinical philosophy in practical terms. Current emphasis on specialization and the simultaneous need for comprehensive health care seriously challenge the health professional's ability to provide adequate services without a well integrated interdisciplinary approach. In addition, clinical experience strongly points toward the need for individualization of treatment within this broad spectrum of interdisciplinary management. The problems of childhood allergies, epilepsy, and feeding problems are used to illustrate this concept, and the interplay between psychic and somatic factors has been highlighted as rationale for integration of nutrition in an interdisciplinary health care program for children.

Duke Scholars

Author Robert J. Thompson Jr. Psychology & Neuroscience